Eastern’s track and field team will head up to the University of Wisconsin for the Badger Track Classic. Times have been rough in Madison recently.

The Badgers basketball team surrendered a loss to Big Ten rival Michigan State on Tuesday in overtime and the football team lost to TCU in the Badgers’ first Rose Bowl appearance since the year 2000.

Now, on top of all that, the Badger track and field team has to come back to campus a week or so early for competition, as classes do not resume at the University of Wisconsin until Jan. 18. Would it be fair to say that the Panthers may have a slight psychological advantage? I think so.

The Panthers are done with winter break, back on campus, and back in the swing of things. The Panthers are coming off of a very impressive opening meet at the EIU Early Bird, and now look to make their first road trip of the year. For the Badgers, this will be their first competition of the year.

The Badgers still have a very good team. Wisconsin finished second in the Big Ten last year, qualified 24 athletes for the NCAA championships, and came into the season with the number seven ranked recruiting class.

I still think the Panthers can go into Madison this weekend and turn a few heads. Zye Boey looked great at the EIU Early Bird meet. Hopefully it is only a preview of things to come for the rest of the indoor and eventually outdoor season.

Another athlete I was very impressed by was red-shirt freshman pole-vaulter Mick Viken. The EIU Early Bird was Viken’s first meet in a Panther uniform, and he has already started to make history.

Viken cleared 16’09.50″ putting him second on the all-time EIU list. That is what I call making a good first impression.

If Viken puts on same performance at the Badger Track Classic that he did at the EIU Early Bird, it would truly be a weekend to remember for him. Viken comes to Eastern as a transfer student.

Guess where he transferred from: the University of Wisconsin.

Viken will get a chance to show the Badgers and their top ten recruiting class on what they really missed out on.

As I said before, I think it would be huge for the Panthers to go into Madison this weekend and make a statement by giving Wisconsin and some of the other big schools there a run for their money.

It will show that the Ohio Valley Conference is not just another small, pushover bunch of schools, and that Eastern can be a legitimate threat with the athletes they have.

Let’s show the Big Ten a thing or two about Big Blue.

Dominic Renzetti can be reached at 581-7944 or dcrenzetti@eiu.edu.